Chapter 1627: Great Fame

Ye Xiaoxi was exceptionally smug; in any case, she wasn't afraid that her two older brothers wouldn't pay her back.

Her father was still waiting for her to bring money back from her brothers' hands to buy cigarettes and alcohol for him.

If they didn't do well on their exams, her brothers would still have to endure a beating!

Now with her supervision, her brothers would definitely do well on their exams; she really was a good younger sister.

Ye Chenghu was already itching with hatred, but since the piggy bank wasn't in his hands yet, he still had to be at the mercy of others, and it was uncertain if he would have to borrow money to get by.

Before they had the piggy bank, they at least had a few cents or a dime of pocket money every day. Ever since their mother let them keep their own New Year's money and various red envelopes, their daily pocket money had disappeared, and they could only dig into their piggy banks themselves.

And now, they had neither pocket money nor a piggy bank. How was he supposed to live? The little stalls at the school gate had more and more variety.

Now there were all kinds of lucky draws, which made one's hands itch too much.

Lin Xiuqing didn't hang up the phone until Ye Xiaoxi finished acting cute.

"You two handle it yourselves. I'm not worried about Yangyang; you watch yourself."

Ye Chenghu responded in his heart: I'll watch myself, then.

"The Five-Starred Red Flag flutters in the wind~ How loud the song of victory is~"

Ye Xiaoxi hummed a song happily, hopping and skipping as she ran outside.

Not to mention, it was quite fitting for the occasion.

Ye Chenghu felt even more depressed listening to that cheerful tone.

After hanging up the phone, Ye Yaodong began to get busy with the new boat, and some of the manpower had to be arranged in advance.

Also, with the end of the year approaching, the volume of shipments was high, and the factory was working overtime. There were more places that required his signature, but fortunately, his father was there, so he let his father sign them all.

Thinking about it now, it was quite necessary for his father to be the legal representative. He was often not at the factory, and next year he would be heading to the deep sea, so there would be many places requiring the legal representative's signature.

If his father were the legal representative, as long as his father was there, it would be fine; he wouldn't be needed.

Recently, his father had been in charge. He was only there in the morning, and from the afternoon on, he was outside working overtime to chase down payments, and his social engagements were also increasing.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt that having his wife by his side was also quite inconvenient.

If he wasn't home every day and couldn't see her, wouldn't she nag him?

He would be going to the deep sea again after the New Year, and once he went, it would be for several months. It seemed there was no need to bring her along? Where wasn't it the same to raise children? It was even more relaxed at home, without having to watch or manage them.

Thinking this way, he hesitated a bit. Forget it, he had already said it anyway, so he would see when the time came.

He threw this thought to the back of his mind and focused on arranging the work at hand.

The return of the Dongyu No. 1 boat caused a brief sensation.

Now, it was particularly eye-catching as it docked at the pier, already a beautiful landscape on the pier, and passersby had to take a few extra looks and talk about it with relish.

Even fishermen who didn't dock in this area came over specifically to take a look after hearing about it.

If the gangway hadn't been retracted, they probably would have run up to take a look.

It was just that such a large boat was too rare; there were only a few on the pier, and the only ones that could compare to this boat were the two boats from the fishery company.

However, those two were old boats, and their length couldn't compare to this Dongyu No. 1. It was said that they were only a little over 60 meters, two or three meters shorter than this boat.

Ye Yaodong only learned that his boat was currently the largest in the entire fishing port when he went to the pier to look at his boat and heard passersby talking.

After all, one couldn't tell which boat was big or small just by visual estimation, but when his boat returned, there was publicity from the workers, so many people knew it was 65 meters.

And since the fishery company fished all year round and fishing boats were constantly coming in and out, there were people on the pier who knew the lengths of the fishing boats. Comparing the two, they knew his boat was the largest.

Every day, there were people watching his fishing boat on the pier, and fortunately, the fresh-receiving boats were coming in and out every day, so there were always his workers watching on the shore.

His workers wore uniforms every day, and people on the pier had long since recognized them. After all, it was extremely rare for fishing boats to have unified uniforms; even the fishery company didn't require crew members to dress uniformly now.

It wasn't many days later, under the publicity of his workers, that everyone on the pier knew this was a fishing boat of Dongsheng Fishery, a private individual's fishing boat.

And his name gradually began to spread on the pier. Everyone was saying that he had dozens of boats, more boats on hand than the fishery company, and more than half of the people on hand were from the military.

He hadn't even shown his face, yet various legends about him had gradually appeared on the pier.

The exaggerated ones even said he came from the military, was a military bigwig, and had a strong background, which was why he had so many retired soldiers following him.

Consequently, his workers in unified uniforms were respected and feared when walking on the road, and no one dared to provoke them easily.

He had only come out to the pier to take a stroll and had already heard N versions.

There were also those who said his family were "Red Second Generation," which was why he owned so many boats at a young age and could have so many retired soldiers on the boats.

Others said he didn't just have boats, but also a lot of land and several factories, spanning several provinces, with thousands of workers on hand, more than state-owned enterprises, and the local government had to fawn over him.

Even worse, some directly said his father was a military bigwig, which was why this eldest son was so awesome...

This version was the most common because some people had once seen a military bigwig board a Dongsheng Fishery boat.

He thought that it was probably when he led the military leaders to the fresh-receiving boat to take away the frilled shark and the English letter metal plates he brought back; there were indeed many people watching at that time.

Anyway, let them be. Let them spread whatever rumors they wanted; the wider they spread, the better. His reputation could be even louder, and then more people would come to him for goods by reputation, and it would be easier for him to collect debts when he went out with bodyguards.

After he finished his round on the pier and went back, he immediately hooked his arm around his father's shoulder and joked.

"Dad, everyone outside is saying you're a military bigwig!"

Ye's father couldn't help but beam with joy. "You heard that too? I went for a round on the pier, and many people pointed at your boat and said we came from the military, and that your dad had fought in wars and resisted the Japanese."

"Ah? Then the version we heard is a bit different."

"There are all kinds of things being said. Your big boat is rare, which is why everyone is guessing."

"If I bring back two more next year and park them in a row, wouldn't that confirm it?"

"Hehehe, people are just that curious. They all want to know who has such ability. If it were the fishery company, people would look and then turn away without caring. The main thing is that it's spread that this is privately owned, which surprises people."

"Hmm, it's also because our workers wear unified uniforms, which is quite conspicuous, so there are many guesses."

"Why did you have time to go to the pier today?"

"It's because it's relatively free in the early morning, and I was thinking of buying boat tickets in advance. With the end of the year approaching, the flow of people is large, and there are many goods. Sometimes you might not be able to buy tickets for the next day, so you have to buy them in advance. By the way, I also went to the pier to see my boat. After it was brought back, I was busy with this and that and didn't have time to take a look, so I could only listen to you all."

"Then what date did you buy the boat tickets for?"

"The third day of the New Year. I'll have to call the shipyard later to notify them that I'll go over on the third to accept it."

Ye's father nodded. "Being able to bring them back before the New Year is already the best."

"Hmm, this matter has been hanging over me, and I haven't been at ease doing anything. Once those two boats are brought back, I can finally be at ease collecting debts. Otherwise, there are always uncertain things hanging over me, making people worry."

"Has Ah Yuan confirmed it over there?"

"I've already confirmed it with him anyway. After the New Year, we'll add another 100 people, with some assigned to the three boats and others placed in the factory. We definitely have to expand after the New Year. Since you're in the factory anyway, if you receive his call, just let me know."

"Okay."

In their factory, since the beginning of the year, they had accepted more than 100 retired soldiers throughout the year, almost a company.

After the New Year, when they receive another 100, there will be more than 200 in the factory and on the fishing boats. If they continue to ask for people next year, it will be almost enough for a battalion.

Wouldn't he then become a potential battalion commander???

If they continue to expand in the future to a thousand people, then he would be a potential regimental commander?

If they have three or four thousand people in the future...

Holy crap, this is incredible, incredible, I dare not think about it...

Ye Yaodong felt his footsteps floating just thinking about it, and his whole body was full of drive.

He had an appointment with the Donghai Shipyard to go over for acceptance on the third. When he went, he specifically brought someone who knew how to operate a boat, after all, there were two boats to bring back, and the other accompanying manpower remained the same.

The acceptance of these two boats was fast; they were familiar configurations, and the two boats were exactly the same.

After his acceptance was finished, he turned around and placed two more orders.

He had earned a lot of money this year. With the processing factory and the fishing boats, one could say he was earning money with his eyes closed. Now that he had too much money on hand, it was better to exchange it for production tools. That small boat had also given him a taste of the benefits, and it had directly multiplied several times over.

If it weren't for the fact that the shipyard definitely wouldn't accept too many orders at once, he would have wanted to place more orders. It would be impossible to buy boats so cheaply in the future.

Anyway, he wasn't short of manpower. If he got more boats, he could ask the military for more people.

After spending another sum of money, he was satisfied and brought people to sail the boats back.

The specifications of these two new boats were different from Dongyu No. 1, so they couldn't park together, but they weren't far away.

This time returning from the magic city, everyone's attire wasn't unified, so it didn't attract special attention.

Every once in a while, new boats of all sizes docked at the pier, so everyone was used to it and would at most take a few extra looks.

But if they were wearing their Dongsheng Fishery unified uniforms, it would be different.

However, there were also curious people who stopped and lingered, and sharp-eyed ones saw the words painted on the fishing boats: "Ocean-going No. 6," "Ocean-going No. 7." Some people were muttering.

"They're No. 6 and No. 7, so are there Ocean-going No. 1 to No. 5 in front?"

"Look closer at the top, there are smaller words under the big words, Dongsheng Fishery..."

"Is that the Dongsheng Fishery I'm thinking of? I don't know how to read, don't lie to me."

"Damn it, Dongsheng Fishery? Is this the same one as that biggest boat on the pier a while ago, that Dongsheng Fishery?"

"Yes, the one marked Dongyu No. 1, and there's also a Dongsheng Fishery marked underneath?"

"Oh my, damn it, could it be the same company? The same boss?"

"It should be, otherwise how could it be printed with the words Dongsheng Fishery? Their Dongsheng Fishery all wear unified uniforms, which are very easy to recognize."

"That's not right, those people on the boat aren't wearing unified uniforms..."

After Ye Yaodong and the others got off the boat, the people surrounding and pointing immediately asked them.

Ye Yaodong denied that he was the boss, and then said affirmatively: "It's the same company, the same company as that Dongyu No. 1, the same boss. These Ocean-going No. 6 and No. 7 have No. 1 to No. 5 in front."

Everyone immediately widened their eyes in shock.

"What? It really is the same boss?"

"Holy crap, three big boats in one go, that's too exaggerated, right? What kind of background does your boss have? This is too awesome and too powerful, right? Even the state-owned fishery company isn't as awesome as your boss."

"I heard your boss came from the military and is very awesome..."

"Is it true?"

"Why do I feel like this Dongsheng Fishery suddenly appeared out of thin air? It's too powerful..."

Ye Yaodong answered selectively, "It didn't suddenly appear; it has been in this port for several years. It's just that there was no unified attire at the beginning, so it wasn't that conspicuous, and everyone didn't know."

"That's true, it was only when that first big boat came out that everyone knew about Dongsheng Fishery..."

"Yes, and then after a casual dig, I found out that there were many Dongsheng Fishery boats on the pier. It's super awesome, it feels even more awesome than the state-owned fishery company."

"Sorry everyone, please make way. The new boats are back, we have to go back to report to the boss."

Returning early today, his father didn't catch up, and no one set off firecrackers today, so he quickly slipped away. Otherwise, the more people surrounded them later, the more he wouldn't be able to leave, and they would have to strip him down to his underwear.

Letting everyone guess at will now can still retain a bit of the boss's mystery, which can create topics.

After talking about it more, didn't it just get hyped up? Everyone knows Dongsheng Fishery, so the reputation is out there, free advertising.

Ye Yaodong also didn't expect that Dongyu No. 1 could produce such a big public opinion, and it was quite influential, bringing Dongsheng Fishery to fame as well. This was also thanks to the unified attire.

He took people and quickly squeezed out of the crowd, letting them discuss behind his back.

"Boss, why didn't you tell them you're the boss?"

"Why tell them? Telling them doesn't have any benefits, it just satisfies their curiosity. If I don't tell them, I can still have a bit of mystery, and everyone can still use their imagination and discuss it a few more times. Wouldn't we be even more famous then?"

"High~"

"Let's go..."

There is no advertising or hype yet. If you want to advertise, you can only publish in newspapers or rely on gossip to spread by word of mouth.

Now there are few entertainment activities, and most people are only busy working and earning money. A little bit of novelty coming and going on the pier can be spread around by everyone, not to mention the boat is parked there, and anyone curious can go see it.

Ye Yaodong also didn't expect the effect to be so good. Not many days later, their Dongsheng Fishery now had a very loud reputation on the pier.

Having operated here for several years before, there wasn't even a splash, but he didn't expect that just by relying on that Dongyu No. 1, it would suddenly become famous.

Later, bosses even came to him by reputation to place orders.

Consequently, the orders for the processing factory also skyrocketed, but the delivery period was all set for after the New Year; there was no way to do it before the New Year.

He also didn't have time to show his face. When someone came to the door, he directly let the person in charge of the factory handle it.

There were still ten days or so until the holiday, and he was busy chasing debts.

And in the process of chasing debts, he also heard other bosses discussing that the coastal areas had now opened up pilot projects, allowing individuals to apply for company registration.

However, one also had to have connections to apply for it to be passed; not just anyone could apply for registration.

And the inland areas hadn't yet; only the coastal areas had started pilot projects. After all, the coastal areas were the first to open up, and many trade pilot projects were first carried out in the coastal areas.

After getting this news, he immediately asked Manager Qi in the factory to go to the government to inquire. If it was possible, they also had to prepare materials to register one and occupy the name in advance.

However, there were only a few days left until the New Year, so at most they could only inquire about the news and wait until after the New Year to return to work to submit it.

If the pilot work had really started and registration was possible, others might not necessarily succeed, but he felt he should have no problem.

"Dongzi, haven't we already filed for record and registration and have a business license? Can't we also operate? Why do we still need to register a company? What's the use of registering?"

"Only after registering can you be the legal representative."

"Huh? Is that so? Doesn't it count as one now?"

"It doesn't. I don't really understand the specifics either. After all, it's just a pilot program right now. I'll have to ask around about what the specific regulations are."

Ye Fu still didn't quite understand why they needed to register a company.

Doesn't their processing plant count as a company? It's a business unit, isn't it? It's just an individual business unit, but it seems there's no difference; it can operate just the same.

Since he couldn't figure it out, he stopped thinking about it and planned to ask Manager Qi later.

"If you can register a company, what are you planning to call it? Dongsheng Fishery Co., Ltd.?"

"Yeah, let's just use that name. It's simple, and our Dongsheng Fishery is already quite famous all over the pier."

"Alright then."

"If we can get it registered, we'll change the sign at the entrance when the time comes. While we're at it, we'll apply for the government to expand our site so we can build another office building."

He felt that given the current level of fame of their fishing boats, next year's orders would definitely explode. There were already people coming one after another by reputation, and it looked like their plant would need to continue expanding after the New Year.

The reputation brought by that boat was truly an unexpected joy. It hadn't even gone out for fishing yet, and its fame had already spread across the entire pier.

It was also fortunate that it hadn't gone out to fish. Just docked there at the pier, everyone could come over to take a look, which could also expand their fame and let the public opinion continue to ferment.

The dormitory area at their base was just too small, and there was no extra space around it to expand. Otherwise, it would be more appropriate to build the building there; it's close to the pier and eye-catching.

But since we aren't building it now, we can leave it for future high-rise construction. For now, we can just build a simple three or four-story building here.

Ye Fu seemed to understand, yet not quite. "Don't we have a few rooms now that can be used as offices?"

"That's not enough. We'll definitely be hiring people after the New Year. The office area is too small, and the dormitory building isn't enough either; we have to keep building."

"It feels like the plant is under construction all year round..."

"That's because we're developing fast. Look, because of that one boat, Dongyu No. 1, how many more orders have we received recently? The delivery schedule after the New Year is already almost full for a month. We have to expand immediately after coming back from the New Year."

As the holiday approached, besides chasing down payments everywhere, Ye Yaodong also had to notify cooperative factories of their holiday schedules and send New Year gifts to factories and clients.

He didn't prepare these New Year gifts himself, of course; he was only responsible for signing off. Once the plant finished purchasing and had the goods ready for him, he would have the various sales staff send them to the factories they had business dealings with.

As for the important client bosses, he would carry the gifts to deliver them personally.

Of course, he didn't forget to send a portion to Lin Ji and the boss of the local shop.

Lin Ji was somewhat surprised to see him come in person and even made a few jokes.

"Hey? How rare. I actually get to see Boss Ye's face."

"Haha, don't say that. Isn't it just that I'm busy? You're busy and I'm busy, so it's not easy for me to see you. It's rare that I'm lucky enough to run into you today. I thought I'd just drop the things off and have to leave without even getting a cup of tea."

"That wouldn't happen. Since you came in person, how could there be no tea? I just happened to come here yesterday and planned to finish up the follow-up matters before the holiday."

Lin Ji greeted him to sit at the tea table, and the two began to brew tea and chat.

For Ye Yaodong, this was a rare moment of leisure. He had been so busy lately that his feet barely touched the ground; it was rare to be able to sit down and drink a cup of tea.

"I only came yesterday, and the same day I heard about Dongyu No. 1. This is your boat, right?"

Ye Yaodong rubbed his nose. "Yes, it is."

"Military background, and your father is a war hero?"

He couldn't help but laugh. "Those are all just random guesses by those people. We just keep our mouths shut and don't answer, so they can guess whatever they want."

"You're really something, letting people guess like that. Won't this pier be yours to call the shots in the future?"

"It's all just blind guessing by those people. I feel it's beneficial to me, so I didn't have anyone clarify it."

"It is indeed beneficial. Now, who doesn't know that Dongsheng Fishery has a rock-solid background, with half the people inside being soldiers?"

"You know, they're all retired soldiers."

"But others don't know. Everyone thinks they're all active soldiers. This will make everything you do in the future convenient."

"That's true."

"I really envy you. Everything you do goes smoothly, and now you can even fly the flag of a military background. Actually, it's well-deserved."

Ye Yaodong said with a smile, "This all came from hard work and effort. Recently, I've only been sleeping four or five hours a day. I'm busy as hell. It's rare today to be able to sit here and drink a cup of your tea."

"It's not easy, Boss Ye is giving me too much face."

"When are you going back?"

"After I finish up. The workers will be on holiday around the 20th, and we'll probably stay until the Little New Year."

"That's about the same."

Lin Ji asked him in return, "What about you?"

"It's set for the 20th for the whole plant to go on holiday. Around the 15th, the workers who live far away can start buying tickets to go back."

"That's soon. It's already the 13th today."

"That's why I'm rushing out to deliver New Year gifts and notify other factories of our holiday schedule."

"Pudong has started large-scale land requisition and development this year. When do you think it will be our turn for the land we bought?"

"Within ten years. You should prepare early; the price of wasteland and residential land are incomparable."

"No wonder I heard you've been constantly building houses this year and then renting them out."

"Some are suitable for building, but some farmland cannot be built on; it can only be kept and wait for land requisition."

"Does that mean if we can buy houses, we should buy more?"

Ye Yaodong gave him a thumbs up. "Drawing inferences, good."

"Understood."